- Title: Masks mandatory at Mickey's - Disneyland Paris re-opens with limited capacity
- Date: 9th July 2020
- Summary: VARIOUS OF EMPTY TABLES AT RESTAURANT
- Embargoed: 23rd July 2020 17:03
- Keywords: Disneyland France Paris coronavirus lockdown re-opening
- Location: CHESSY, FRANCE
- City: CHESSY, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA006CM39N47
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:With masks mandatory and advance booking required, Disneyland Paris will gradually reopen from July 15 after a four-month closure due to the coronavirus crisis.
Like other major Paris attractions, such as the Versailles palace and the Louvre museum, Europe's most visited theme park will limit capacity and impose a minimum distance of one metre between visitors on its rides to prevent infection risk.
Disney declined to say by how much capacity will be reduced but said that in order to have control over the number of visitors, no tickets will be sold at the entrance and attractions where social distancing is difficult will not reopen for now, including its night shows.
All Disney staff and visitors over 11 will have to wear a face mask at all times, and plexiglass will separate visitors and staff where possible. But unlike in one theme park in Japan, visitors can scream their heart out on roller coasters.
"If the client wants to scream, we're not going to tell them, 'No, you can't scream.' There are so many things we've put in place, but it's still a theme park. People still have to come to enjoy themselves," Eric Bernini, in charge of the park's rides, said.
During a press visit on Thursday (July 9), music was playing but the main street through the park was eerily empty as staff stood by attractions in preparation of the reopening.
Contact with Disney characters will be limited and visitors are encouraged to take socially-distanced selfies with Mickey Mouse rather than traditional hugs, though park staff said they would be flexible when dealing with young children.
"Our number one concern is that the children are treated as well as we can. We don't want to make them cry or anything," show director Emmanuel Lenormand said.
Located 30 km east of Paris, Disneyland does not release annual visitor numbers but says on its site that it has had more than 320 million visits since its opening in 1992 and that the park accounts for 6.2 percent of France's tourism income.
(Production: Noemie Olive, Johnny Cotton) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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